Aldermen Hire Outside Investigator to Examine Timesheet Issue
Dissension among clerks at Parkville City Hall has led the city to hire a juris doctorate to investigate human resources policies in place at the city.
Specifically, the city has hired Julie R. McKee of FBD Consulting, an Overland Park firm specializing in human resources counsel and advice, to investigate claims of falsified time sheets and a breakdown in cooperation among personnel at the city.
The allegations apparently stem from a two page memorandum prepared by Lore Meyer, the city’s payroll clerk, to unspecified members of city staff. In the memo, Meyer documents the comings and goings of Deborah Hammond, Parkville’s Administrative Assistant and alleges that Hammond submitted erroneous timesheets.
When contacted by The Luminary, Hammond vigorously denied the allegations and equated the issue to a political witch hunt of sorts. Hammond has been an outspoken critic of the Southern Platte County Ambulance District (which she helped create), an elected member of the sewer board, an active member of the Parkville Rotary Club and recently served as a co-chair of the annual Substance-free Family New Year’s Celebration for the Park Hill school district.
City Manager Joe Turner refused to comment on the matter when contacted by The Luminary.
“It’s a personnel issue and I cannot discuss personnel issues,” Turner said.
When asked how much the city was paying FBD Consulting for the counsel, Turner said he was not aware of the cost. When asked who made the decision to hire the outside firm, he said the decision was made by the board of aldermen in a recent closed session.